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An App to Transport Ride-Sharing to the Road

By EMILY BRENNAN

Published: August 19, 2012

Ridejoy, the online ride-sharing service, can now take it on the road. The company was scheduled to release an iPhone app last week to complement its Web site, which, like a motor version of CouchSurfing, matches travelers who need rides with drivers who have space in their cars.''We wanted to make something that you can do on the go rather than use at the computer,'' said Jason Shen, a founder of the site, ''make that spontaneity part of Ridejoy's experience.''">

Users of Ridejoy, the online ride-sharing service, can now take it on the road. The company was scheduled to release an iPhone app last week to complement its Web site, which, like a motor version of CouchSurfing, matches travelers who need rides with drivers who have space in their cars.''We wanted to make something that you can do on the go rather than use at the computer,'' said Jason Shen, a founder of the site, ''make that spontaneity part of Ridejoy's experience.''

Mr. Shen and his partners introduced Ridejoy in September 2011 after finding success the month before with the pilot site BurningManRides.com, a marketplace for people driving to the annual arts festival in Black Rock Desert in Nevada.

Now the site lists an average of about 3,000 rides to hundreds of cities at any given moment, according to the company. Drivers list prices per seat based on a trip's mileage (the maximum is 50 cents a mile). And rides don't only go to people. Users can pay for drivers to transport their dogs, furniture, even large Christmas presents.

EMILY BRENNAN

PHOTO (PHOTOGRAPH BY AXEL SCHMIES/IMAGE BROKER, VIA NEWCOM)

Ridejoy, the online ride-sharing service, can now take it on the road. The company was scheduled to release an iPhone app last week to complement its Web site, which, like a motor version of CouchSurfing, matches travelers who need rides with drivers who have space in their cars.''We wanted to make something that you can do on the go rather than use at the computer,'' said Jason Shen, a founder of the site, ''make that spontaneity part of Ridejoy's experience.''">

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